Earlier this month we hosted 148 of the 170 university students selected as 2012-2013 Google Student Ambassadors in Nairobi, Kenya for the first-ever SSA Ambassador Summit. These students - most of whom were traveling outside their home countries for the first time - represent over 100 universities across 12 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa including Angola, Cameroon, Cote d'ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda.

Sub-Saharan Africa Google Student Ambassador Class of 2013 at the summit in Nairobi

The three day summit covered lots of ground with interactive training sessions on Google products including Google Apps for Education, Map Maker and Search for Educators. But it wasn’t all business. The students also built lasting friendships over bowling, picnicking, dancing and movie-watching. On the last day, they had the chance to showcase their wide-ranging talents at the Gala Talent Night. Here the students - clad in traditional African attire native to their respective cultures - sang, recited poetry, danced and cheered on one another.

The Google Student Ambassador program is an opportunity for students to serve as liaisons between Google and their universities. This year the program will include over 1,000 students across 65 countries globally, which represents 150% growth from last year alone. Last year’s class of SSA Ambassadors accomplished amazing things - as evidenced by one Ambassador named Biggy (read his story here). So, we can hardly imagine what’s in store for the year ahead as the program expands into new regions and new universities. We hope that bringing these outstanding students together helped them to learn more about Google’s tools and programs: they can now go back and share with their communities and peers to help bring Africa online.